Basil Hodder, president of the Cape Breton Freewheelin Motorcycle Club, said members from eight or nine local clubs formed the Island Strong Motorcycle Association and have announced the first Cape Breton Bike Rally.

It will be held the same weekend BikeFest was scheduled, Aug. 1 to 4, and will feature many of the same activities, including barbecues, nightly entertainment and a ride through the Fortress of Louisbourg.

“When the former organizers decided to cancel (BikeFest), the bike clubs got together and originally said, ‘Let’s each do something to entertain the people that are coming anyway’,” said Hodder, who is now the association’s chairman. “It just grew from there.”

The bike rally will have vendors and displays around Centre 200 in downtown Sydney, and will include guided tours around the Cabot Trail and the popular Storm the Fortress event.

Hodder said the new group is also working on bringing in stunt riders to put on a show, but liability insurance is one of the main stumbling blocks.

The rally has a website and Facebook page, but the schedule of events isn’t posted yet and won’t be finalized until later this week. Hodder said the group is busy co-ordinating its plans with the Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s Action Week festivities.

“There’ll be a few little hiccups,” he said. “The schedule is fluid at the moment.”

Still, said Hodder, the volunteers have come together quickly since the BikeFest organizers announced their cancellation in June.

And while organizing the event is a large undertaking, Hodder said the business community and local bikers have embraced the tasks enthusiastically.

“Everywhere we’re going, everyone we speak to says thank goodness this is being continued on,” said Hodder.

And while he has been a participant at each of the BikeFest events in the past, Hodder said he still plans to have a good time at this year’s new incarnation, thanks to the support of fellow bikers on the association.

“I’m definitely going to enjoy it, because everybody does a little bit and nobody does it all.”